Newsletter August September 2003

Nr. 21 August - September 2003
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IN THIS ISSUE Less tourists in the hostels this summer. But does this weaken the ministry? Lately, we experience a lot of openness for the Gospel among people from Iran. Prayer Support	Missions and Depression in the Tourist Industry This year, the number of tourists visiting Amsterdam is less than in previous years. This is probably due to the situation in the world (SARS, war in Iraq) and the fact that the Euro is expensive for Americans. How does this impact the Shelter? We too have less guests than last year. Even in de middle of the summer season the hostel is not always fully booked at the end of the day. But we don't complain. Our purpose is not to make a profit but to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and this is what we do. Recently we started organising more Music Nights. The Lord had blessed us with very musically gifted teams from Northwestern College and Wheaton College (USA). Could there be any thing better than sharing the Gospel through music and to use the gifts of the staff in such a way? Hans de Boer, one of our assistant managers, is the initiator of these Music Nights. He really has a vision for music ministry. At these evenings, we also invite the guests in the hostel to participate with songs or poems. We hope to build contacts with guests and use music as a bridge to the Gospel. Why do I tell you this? Because I hope you would pray for this ministry. Without the prayers of our friends this work can not be done. We also have reason to give thanks. I have to think of Rashan. He came to Amsterdam to take a course at the Scientology Church. He was searching for wisdom, hoping to discover more about himself. But when he stayed in The Shelter Jordan he found Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor. The name Rashan means " light" . He was looking for enlightenment but didn't know the true Light. Until he met Christ. It was a very special moment when he repented of his sins and prayed for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We often hear that guests have a more positive idea about God and Christianity after their stay in the hostel than before. This is great! These people had negative feelings and are now much more open to the Gospel message. Not everyone will come to faith in the hostel. Our desire is to bring each guest just a step closer to God. This doesn't always lead to a spectacular story, but the miracle is just the same. Lets pray that these guests will continue to take steps and that they will meet Christians who can assist them in finding our Lord and Saviour. Is missions affected by the economic depression? If we think of the number of travellers in the hostel and our income, the answer is yes. But if we focus on the work God is doing, the answer is no. Even this week one of the cleaners gave his life to Christ. Will you continue to pray for the working of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the hostel? Jacob Kops, manager The Shelter Jordan Donation Request We would like to show more evangelistic movies and music clips in our café. For this we have need for a LCD beamer, a video player, a movie screen, as well as money to purchase new videos and DVD's. Because of the decreasing in income we will not have the means to purchase this equipment ourselves. Who will help us? If you would like to bless us with a special gift or donation please contact Jacob Kops at jacob@jordan.shelter.nl It is also possible to support us on a regular basis. You will find all the details at www.shelter.nl/donations First Steps It’s amazing to see the different types of people God brings to the Shelter City. For example, this man from Iran who took his first steps into Christianity. Farzad grew up in Iran but had lived in Germany for fourteen years and is now a refugee in the Netherlands. Via a social care organisation Farzad came to stay in the Shelter City. Here he consistently attended Bible discussions and asked many challenging and thought provoking questions. Although he was raised in a Muslim family, he never really practised any religion. He began to seek for answers and God began knocking on the door of his heart. One night, after the Bible discussion, Farzad asked some of the staff members to pray with him. He gave his heart to the Lord! Since that moment, God has used him in the hostel to communicate God’s love to other people. While working at the snackbar, I was able to watch him every morning come to breakfast with his Bible in his hand and a new light of hope in his eyes. Shortly after his decision for Christ, Farzad went through a very difficult time. His mother became very ill and went into a coma. As a young believer Farzad immediately thought that God was rejecting him and did not love him, so he resorted to attempt to drown his pain in alcohol. Fortunately, a staff member found him before he could harm himself. The following morning Farzad had many discussions with staff members about the love of God and His promises to us. We are thankful that his mother came out of the coma and is doing much better today. Currently, Farzad is working at the Shelter Jordan as a cleaner. He is still struggling with the things of this world such as drinking and smoking marijuana. The spiritual war for his soul is so evident. Please pray that he would flee from temptation and that God would continue to change him. Jan de Visser, The Shelter City
ABOUT The Shelter Youth Hostel Ministry is a Christian evangelism ministry in the centre of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our goal is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the 30,000 travellers who are staying each year in our two Christian youth, The Shelter City and The Shelter Jordan. The ministry is part of the association Tot Heil des Volks
CONTACT Newsletter: Newsletter@shelter.nl www.theshelter.nl/news Youth Hostel Ministry: www.theshelter.nl/ministry The Shelter hostels: www.shelter.nl

PRAYER SUPPORT In the previous Newsletter we asked you to pray for more staff. Now we have reason to thank you for your prayers and to praise God. We still have a few openings for the coming months, but we have almost enough people We are thankful for the many summer volunteers and the teams from Wheaton College. Today many new staff members and volunteers will be starting, some of them will be here for a full year. Please pray for the teams during this transition period. Continue to pray for our staff as they share the love of Christ with the guests. Also pray for the preparation for the Ministry Training School. It looks like we will start with just one afternoon a week of classes. In January we hope to be ready to schedule two afternoons of teaching and training. Pray that the re-building of the Willemstraat building will go according to plan so that the staff of both hostels can move to this new accommodation in the spring of 2004.
DONATIONS The work of The Shelter Youth Hostel Ministry would not be able to continue without financial support. Read more at www.shelter.nl/donations